Vacuum packaging involves removing air or other gases from a storage container and then sealing the container to prevent the contents from being exposed to ambient air. Vacuum packaging is particularly useful in protecting food and other perishables against oxidation. Oxygen is a main cause of food spoilage and contributes to the growth of bacteria, mold, and yeast. Accordingly, vacuum-packaged food often lasts three to five times longer than food stored in ordinary containers. Moreover, vacuum packaging is useful for storing clothes, photographs, silver, and other items to prevent discoloration, corrosion, rust, and tarnishing. Vacuum packaging also produces tight, strong, and compact packages, reducing the bulk of articles and allowing for more space to store other supplies.
FIGS. 1A–1B are schematic isometric views of a conventional appliance 1 for vacuum packaging an object 98 (shown in broken lines) in accordance with the prior art. The vacuum packaging appliance 1 includes a base 10, a lid 50 pivotably coupled to the base 10, a lower trough 22 in the base 10, an upper trough (not shown) in the lid 50, and a vacuum pump (not shown) operably coupled to the upper trough. The lid 50 pivots between an open position (shown in FIG. 1B), in which a portion of a bag 90 can be placed between the lid 50 and the base 10, and a closed position (shown in FIG. 1A), in which the bag 90 can be evacuated and thermally sealed.
In the closed position, the upper trough and the lower trough 22 are aligned and form a vacuum chamber to remove gas from the interior of the bag 90. The base 10 includes a seal 24 surrounding the vacuum chamber to seal the chamber from ambient air while gas is removed from the interior of the bag 90. The vacuum packaging appliance 1 further includes a heating element 30 to thermally seal the bag 90 after the gas has been evacuated. A vacuum packaging appliance of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,310, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Conventional vacuum packaging bags include two panels attached together with an open end. Typically, the panels each include two or more layers. The inner layer can be a heat sealable material, and the outer layer can be a gas impermeable material to provide a barrier against the influx of air. The plasticity temperature of the inner layer is lower than the outer layer. As such, the bag can be heated to thermally bond the inner layer of each panel together to seal the bag without melting or puncturing the outer layer.
A conventional vacuum packaging process includes depositing the object 98 in the bag 90 and positioning an open end 92 of the bag 90 in the lower trough 22 of the vacuum packaging appliance 1. Next, the lid 50 pivots downward to form the vacuum chamber with the open end 92 of the bag 90 disposed within the vacuum chamber. The vacuum pump then removes gas from the vacuum chamber and the interior of the bag 90, which is in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber. After gas has been removed from the interior of the bag 90, the heating element 30 heats a strip of the bag 90 proximate to the open end 92 to bond the inner layer of each panel together and thermally seal the bag 90.
In FIG. 1B, the appliance 1 is shown resting on a counter 60. As is self-evident from FIG. 1B, the orientation of the appliance 1 necessarily limits the usable surface area of the counter 60 to the depth of the counter 60. As will be appreciated, the typical commercial or residential kitchen counter has greater length than depth. When the length of the bag 90 plus the depth of the appliance 1 exceeds the depth of the counter 60, the bag 90 will necessarily hang over the edge of the counter 60. Particularly with heavier or unwieldy items intended for storage in the bag 90, this arrangement can make operation of the appliance 1 difficult.
It will also be appreciated that conventional vacuum packaging appliances tend to have relatively large footprints and require significant space on a countertop or other surface. For example, the footprint of the appliance 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1A–1B is the surface area of the bottom of the base 10.
Accordingly, there is a need for vacuum packaging appliances with smaller footprints that operate at an orientation better suited to utilize available counter surface area.